Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

08 Dec 2011

One Final Hurrah in Saigon: Vietnamese Crêpes

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For our final meal in Saigon, our friend Hawkins insisted on lunch at Bánh Cuốn Hải Nam. Narrow as can be, this restaurant has been serving the city’s best crêpes for decades. While service and decor is mostly minimal, the food keeps customers coming back time and again.

The restaurant’s tidy alfresco kitchen faces the street, greeting customers with the aroma of hot crêpes as they walk in.

Every serving is steamed and stuffed to order in the minimalist kitchen. We didn’t wait but a moment for our plates of the house special bánh cuốn to arrive.

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Restaurant Review

06 Dec 2011

Hủ Tiếu Cá – Vietnamese Fish Noodle Soup

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The Astronomer and I were sent to Nam Lợi restaurant for their famous hủ tiếu cá (fish noodle soup) by Loan Le, “The Lady” of The Pig and the Lady popup restaurant in Honolulu. We ran into her under The Lunch Lady‘s tree and got to talking after realizing we were in the company of Americans.

She told us that a trip to Saigon isn’t complete without a meal here. The noodles were fantastic, as were the bánh pâté chaud (pork pastries) served alongside them. “The Lady’s” enthusiasm was infectious, so The Astronomer and I made our way to the restaurant the following morning for breakfast.

As anticipated, fresh-from-the-oven bánh pâté chaud were delivered to the table the moment we sat down. The pastry was flaky and rich, with a heavy-on-the-black-pepper ground pork filling inside. Oh, so good.

During the morning hours, Nam Lợi serves four similarly composed noodle soups based on one delightful broth. There’s fish noodle soup with wide rice noodles or thin egg noodles and chicken noodle soup with wide rice noodles or thin egg noodles. The Astronomer and I both stuck to their specialty fish offerings this morning.

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Restaurant Review

04 Dec 2011

American Doughnuts on Saigon Soil

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Much has changed in Saigon since The Astronomer and I called it home three years ago. In addition to shiny new skyscrapers, helipads, and highways, an American-style doughnut shop has popped up in District 1.

After admiring Fresh Donuts from afar for the first two weeks of our trip, we finally let curiosity get the best of us and came in for a taste. The shop’s slogan is “fresh, delicious, everyday.” How could we resist such pleasant promises?

While it’s quite common for restaurants throughout Vietnam to display an altar with fruit and tea, it’s highly unusual to see one offering doughnuts too. Just to the left, behind the glowing red bulb, was a plated glazed cinnamon roll. I bet this gesture made the ancestors smile.

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